Recommendations for diving with new Jr. OW diver

[Altamira]

I am taking my newly minted Jr. OW certified 11 year old grandson on a dive cruise to Coz, Roatan, and Belize and could use some advice. Although I am hiring a private DM for all the ports and know we are limited to 40' depth, i have not had the opportunity to watch his training or dive with him. I have had in-depth discussions with his instructor about his training, and was told he did great, better than the adults in his class. Although we have a private DM, my grandson's safety is my responsibility, and I am not relying on the DM to be his dive buddy. I am thinking of tethering my grandson to me, at least for the first couple of dives until I am satisfied with his buoyancy control and novice skills. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[jord1990]

You could use a buddyline.

Jord

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[Chugwhump]

I understand your concern as my son started diving with me when he was 11.
And I know that your have only the best of intentions, but I do not agree with this.
You will be in great viz, in warm water, with a guide/dm right there as you described.
When I began diving with my son I always had a hand on him due to pop up concerns.
After two dives I knew he was going to never pop up, and switched to always keeping him in my field of view.
After a few dozen dives here in warm clear SoFla waters, I just do buddy diving 101 basics and it's all good.
Chug
Proud SCUBA Dad.

 

[Altamira]

I am really only concerned with the first couple of dives until I am relatively sure his buoyancy is good enough that he is not going to pop up to the surface. By tether, I mean a buddy line of maybe 6-8'.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I taught my kids to dive when they were less than 11 yrs old. I do not want to sound harsh, but the fact that you would even consider tethering a child to yourself in 100 ft visibility leads me to believe, you have very little concept of diving with a really dependent diver. It indicates to me that you don't trust the child or his training (which is understandable).

If I were in your position, I would take the kid snorkeling and see if they can dive 15 feet, hang out a little on the bottom and ascend calmly, clearing the mask the snorkel etc. If they can do that, you have a very strong indication that their comfort level and watermanship skills are probably adequate. If the child can't or won't try this, or fails miserably at it, then I would concentrate on woking on those skills before putting them in a position where they can explode their lungs in 5 seconds (i.e., scuba).

11 yrs old is very young to scuba dive. In my opinion, it is only appropriate for a small percentage of the age group and I have very little faith in today's certification standards...

 

[iamjblevine]

Consider doing a Discover Scuba in the first port. You can watch your grandson perform most of the basic skills in a controlled environment. Then you can decide what to do in subsequent ports. I did this with my 10 yr. old daughter last december.

 

[Altamira]

If I were in your position, I would take the kid snorkeling and see if they can dive 15 feet, hang out a little on the bottom and ascend calmly, clearing the mask the snorkel etc. If they can do that, you have a very strong indication that their comfort level and watermanship skills are probably adequate. If the child can't or won't try this, or fails miserably at it, then I would concentrate on woking on those skills before putting them in a position where they can explode their lungs in 5 seconds (i.e., scuba).

11 yrs old is very young to scuba dive. In my opinion, it is only appropriate for a small percentage of the age group and I have very little faith in today's certification standards...

I paid for his Jr. OW course because the kid is a natural in the water, have snorkeled with him in the ocean, and he can do as you have suggested. I also ran him through an Intro to Scuba course with Barefoot Divers in Roatan before I agreed to send him through the PADI OW course. He did great in that course as well. I just did not have the opportunity to observe his OW training. However, I will forget about the buddy line as I can stop him from popping up if that happens.

 

[drrich2]

A few days before the trip, have him go through repeated runs of assembling and disassembling scuba gear, wearing it, inflating and deflating the BCD, and thus refresh those skills and the comfort level.

Until one has quite a few dives down, it's easy to forget which way to turn the tank, etc...

Richard.


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[dumpsterDiver]

I paid for his Jr. OW course because the kid is a natural in the water, have snorkeled with him in the ocean, and he can do as you have suggested. I also ran him through an Intro to Scuba course with Barefoot Divers in Roatan before I agreed to send him through the PADI OW course. He did great in that course as well. I just did not have the opportunity to observe his OW training. However, I will forget about the buddy line as I can stop him from popping up if that happens.

That is great! I'm in the process of teaching my 15 yr old daughter right now. It takes a while, but kids, even young ones can be good divers.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I agree with Dumpster Diver - Forget the tether. Better to hold hands for the start of a dive that add and entanglement risk in the form of a piece of equipment I doubt either of you has used. As a buddy stay within touching distance of your grandson unless/ until you comfort level and his allows a SLIGHTLY greater separation ( 6 feet max). Also, ask about the dive sites as to current , surge and the like and dive only appropriate beginner sites. Have a great trip.
DivemasterDennis